This is blog for an endangered species-the old Rockefeller Republican. Expect news and opinion from this site.

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

Counting the Cost: I remember watching the historical miniseries on the New York City a couple of years ago. It talked about a fire that took place in a crowded sweatshop. The owners did not leave many exits and many of the workers, mostly women, were burned or fell to their deaths. As a result, new workplace laws were passed to ensure that such a tragedy would never happen again. David Broder writes about Grover Nordquist's plan to keep pushing for tax cuts. Of course tax cuts sound good and sometimes they are needed. The right wing of the GOP has used a good tool to support their ends of getting government out of things government should be concerned about. If taxes are repeatedly cut, we stand lose more government services that affect everybody. We may not like our money going to welfare cheats, but what about to making sure that our workplaces are safe? Or would we like that the food that we eat is no longer inspected by the government? Do we care that there is a Centers for Disease Control that is on the frontline on emerging diseases and against any biological terror threat? We may get our tax cut, but it will come at a grave cost. Of course the right wing won't tell you that, though. They will tell you that you can have your cake and eat it too. But as Reagan once said, there is no such thing as a free lunch.